Daylight sunlight report
AKT Surveyors produce BRE 209-compliant Daylight & Sunlight Reports for London projects - quantifying neighbour impact and proposed unit quality so planners, design teams and committees can make confident decisions.
What is a Daylight & Sunlight Report?
A planning-grade assessment (per BRE 209) that measures how a proposal affects neighbouring amenity (daylight & sunlight) and, where scoped, the internal daylight of proposed rooms. Typical outputs include VSC, NSL, APSH, overshadowing to gardens, and internal daylight metrics (e.g., DF/UDI/NSDTM as agreed with the LPA).
2-4 Ringers Road, Bromley
Wadworth Brewery, New Park Street
360, 17 Marlborough Street, Bristol
At-a-glance: Daylight & Sunlight Scopes
| Topic | Neighbouring Daylight | Neighbouring Sunlight | Internal Daylight (Proposed) | Overshadowing (Open Space) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metrics | VSC, NSL | APSH | DF/UDI/NSDTM (as agreed) | BRE sunlight to amenity spaces |
| Purpose | Protect neighbours’ daylight | Protect neighbours’ sunlight to main rooms | Demonstrate quality of proposed rooms | Assess loss of sun to gardens/courtyards |
| Typical triggers | Massing close to windows | South-facing impacts | New dwellings, quality audits | Tall/long forms near amenity space |
| Design levers | Setbacks, step-backs, chamfers | Setbacks, local height trims | Window sizing/positions, layout & reflectance | Height trims, gaps, orientation tweaks |
| Output | Tables, drawings, narrative | Tables, drawings, narrative | Room schedules, diagrams | Plans/diagrams with % compliance |
Why it matters
- Planning clarity: objective, policy-aligned evidence for officers and committees.
- Design direction: pinpoint hotspots and show which mitigations move the needle.
- Neighbour relations: transparent drawings and schedules that de-escalate objections.
- Speed: tight London timelines met with focused scoping and efficient modelling.
- Consistency: narrative aligned with local policy and Design & Access material.
Faq
Got questions about right to light in London?
Below are answers to the most common right to light questions we receive from London homeowners, architects and developers covering law, process, fees and what to send us.
No. BRE is for planning amenity; Right to Light is a legal easement. Many London schemes need both assessments.
If you’re creating new dwellings, yes—many boroughs require evidence that rooms achieve acceptable daylight levels.
We run BRE for planning and can run Right to Light in parallel if there’s potential easement risk. Passing one doesn’t guarantee the other.
Existing/proposed plans, sections, elevations, storey heights, roof forms/dormers; DWG helps, scaled PDFs are acceptable.